(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Madagascan President Hery Rajaonarimampianina on Wednesday challenged the legality of a parliamentary vote to dismiss him and said the country needed stability to avoid a return to years of crisis.
Lawmakers voted late Tuesday to remove him for alleged constitutional violations and incompetence in a move that threatened to revive political chaos that erupted after a coup in 2009.
The constitutional court in the Indian Ocean island nation will now decide whether the impeachment process can go ahead.
"I want to tell the people that I'm still here, your leaders are still working for you," Rajaonarimampianina said in a televised address to the nation.
"Many are asking questions about what happened to the national assembly over the impeachment.
"I am concerned about due process and respect for transparency. There is a suspicion of corruption."
Rajaonarimampianina, 56, alleged that although 125 lawmakers had apparently voted, only 80 were present in parliament.
The motion was backed by 121 of the votes - easily clearing the two-thirds majority required for his dismissal.
The president added ruefully that he had always refused to handed out unwarranted gifts such as 4x4 vehicles to lawmakers.
Rajaonarimampianina, a trained accountant, came to power in 2013 elections, vowing to end turmoil after his predecessor Marc Ravalomanana was ousted in the 2009 coup.
He promised a better life for inhabitants of one of the world's poorest countries, but opposition to his rule has grown in recent months.
His critics say he has failed to deliver on his economic programme and accuse him of stalling on the establishment of a high court and on promised reforms.
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